“Dork Shorts” are a form of presentation popularized by researchers in the Digital Humanities. They combine a formal structure (a specific number of slides) with a short time limit that keeps things light and allows the audience to learn a lot in short period of time. They’re sometimes also called “Lightning Talks.”
Objective
To distill your main claim and supporting arguments and help you organize, draft, and revise your research paper; to work on your oral presentation skills in a supportive environment; to generate feedback and exchange ideas on your research topic
Key Terms
claim; oral presentations; slides; research paper
Assignment
As part of our process for the final paper, everyone in the class will be making a approximately six-minute Dork Short presentation. Dork Shorts are designed to encourage discussion and raise questions in a seminar-style setting. They combine a formal structure (a specific number of slides) with a short time limit that keeps things light and allows the audience to learn a lot in short period of time.
The format of the presentation is ten slides, which you will have five to seven minutes to explain. You may choose to read prepared remarks or speak extemporaneously.
You may structure your slides in any way you fell best fits your topic. One possible structure would be to design one to two slides for each of the following points:
- Introduce topic
- Critical Debate around topic
- Your Main Claim or Research Question
- Supporting Arguments / Developing your niche / Close reading from your exhibit
- Conclusion that addresses the ‘so what?’ question
The whole class will then have five to seven minutes to ask questions and make suggestions for your paper. You will be responsible for managing the discussion following your talk. In total, each Dork Short session should run no more than twelve minutes.